It happened one 12 October

1492 : Christopher Columbus discovered America

On October 12, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, working for the Spanish, reached the shores of the Bahamas thinking landing in eastern Asia. Seeking a more direct route to reach Asia, its treasures and spices, making an error in calculating the size of Earth, Columbus thought he had arrived at their destination. He continued his trip to Cuba (China for him) and Hispaniola (Japan for him and the island of Santo Domingo and Haiti today) before returning to Spain without realizing his error.

1960 : Nikita Khrushchev throws a fit at the United Nations

On October 12, 1960, during a debate on a resolution against Russian colonialism, representative of the Philippines criticized Soviet policy in Eastern Europe by comparing it to the same colonialism. Throwing a tantrum, Nikita Khrushchev removed one of his shoes and pound the table with it in protest.

2002 : Bali bombing

On October 12, 2002, three bombs exploded in Kuta, a quiet tourist town of the island of Bali in Indonesia. The largest explosion occurred at a nightclub frequented by Australian tourists. 202 people were killed and over 200 severely injured. The attacks were perpetrated by the Islamist terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah, linked to al Qaeda.

2007 : Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize

On October 12, 2007, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on United Nations Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on the relationship between pollution and climate change on the planet. Al Gore won an Oscar in 2006 for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth on this subject.

Latest news : 12 October

National Day in Equatorial GuineaOctober 12 is National Day in Equatorial Guinea which celebrates the anniversary of its independence gained against Spain on October 12, 1968.

Freethought Day in the U.S.October 12 is the Freethought Day in the United States marking the anniversary of the end of the Salem Witch Trials, trials of young women victims of mass hysteria from a Puritan community in 1692.

Día de la Hispanidad in SpainOctober 12 is Día de la Hispanidad in Spain which celebrates the arrival of Columbus in America. This festival is also celebrated in various forms in some countries of Central and South America and in the United States.

Quote of the day : 12 October

Al GoreAirplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo.

Birthdays : 12 October

Go-Ichijō, Emperor of Japan (1006)

Elmer Sperry, American inventor (gyrocompass) (1860)

Arthur Harden, English chemist, Nobel Laureate (1865)

Ramsay MacDonald, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1929-1935) (1866)

Eugenio Montale, Italian poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (1896)

Paul Engle, American writer (1908)

Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic TV presenter of the BBC (1929)

Luciano Pavarotti, Italian tenor (1935)

Frank Alamo, French singer (1941)

Aurore Clément, French actress (1945)

Chris Wallace, American journalist (1947)

Robin Askwith, English actor (1950)

Brigitte Lahaie, French former porn actress, radio talk show host (1955)